Living Room II

Wall number two is done. Now don't mind the pictures. I haven't put new ones in because after baby girl #2 is born we will take family pictures and they will go in those frames. So for now enjoy the ones I have, but really don't mind them. Hehe... :)

I really like this wall and feel like it brings more character to the living room and our life. Tell me what you think and enjoy.

View from a distance

A close up

39 Weeks

Well... I've made it to the last week of my pregnancy (here's hoping, right?!) I am doing pretty good, just ready to meet this little girl. My appointment last week went well, she weighs 5 pounds now, which is great. My Doctor can feel her head and as of Tuesday (6/19) I was dialated to 1 1/2 cm. Now we just need to wait for my contractions to pick up -- oh goody. :)

I can't believe it's about this time. I've been wanting this time to get here for a few weeks now and now that's it's here, I'm surprised (in a good way). I was sitting in church today and it hit me all of a sudden, that next week we will have a baby. I got really excited!! Anyway, I'll do my best to keep you all posted on things are going.

Until then, enjoy this picture of Zoie and me. She really wanted to stand next to me while we took the picture. She is so excited to be a big sister. A baby was blessed in our ward today and she got all happy and came and gave my stomach a nice big, long hug. She's going to be a good big sister.

Staying STRONG in the STORMS of Life

Mosiah 4:27: "Not requisite that a (wo)man should run faster than (s)he has strength"

Elder Neal A. Maxwell pointed out that we have limited time and energy, so we must focus on that which is most important:

"When we run faster than we are able, we get both inefficient and tired. . . .

"I have on my office wall a wise and useful reminder by Anne Morrow Lindbergh concerning one of the realities of life. She wrote, 'My life cannot implement in action the demands of all the people to whom my heart responds.' That's good counsel for us all, not as an excuse to forego duty, but as a sage point about pace and the need for quality in relationships."

(Deposition of a Disciple [1976], 58).

Quote from the Book of Mormon Institute Manual-Pg. 144.

We live in a world that constantly tries to "occupy" our time. Sometimes we use our time efficiently and other times we waste it. Satan loves when this happens. I have found myself in my life lately spending more time watching TV shows with my family, than actually taking the time to go out and do some activity or talking and getting to know each other better.

I think this is a good reminder to us all that we need prioritize our time in our life and make sure we are using it well -- to do good and become better servants of the Lord. I believe that when we do so we learn how to stay strong in the storms of life.

As President Uchtdorf states, T-I-M-E is spelled L-O-V-E!

BRAVE

This afternoon we took Zoie to go and see the new movie Brave. She was so excited to go and see a show. She was really excited to get her treats too. She had popcorn and twizzlers. They kept her satisfied through the show, especially the popcorn. She loved that popcorn.

Zoie had a blast. She laughed, got scared, and when something went wrong she would say "oh no!" It was really cute. It was a fun family outing. The movie was good, I thought. Although I do have to say there were some pretty intense scenes, but that's what makes the show, right?! I am glad we took Zoie and I'm glad she had fun.

Farewell

My parents took my brother Josh up to the MTC (Missionary Training Center) on Wednesday. My family and I are very excited for him. He will be serving for two years in the Managua, Nicaragua, South Mission, for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Spanish Speaking... how cool is that.

He is very excited and can't wait to get started. I wish we were able to be there to see him off, but we skyped before he left. It was great. Zoie learned to say his name. Now when she sees his picture, she says "josh." (well... the sh doesn't come out very well).

Anyway, Good luck Josh and we'll see you in two years. Have fun and we love you!!!

Mom & Josh at the MTC

Father's Day Weekend

Ryan had all of Father's Day weekend off. It was going to be GREAT!!! Time to spend with each other and celebrate our love for him, especially on Father's Day. Well... unfortunately my little family didn't have an enjoyable Father's Day weekend. Sad day, right?!
Ryan ended up getting Strep Throat. Zoie was starting to get it and she started teething all four canines at once. Poor family. I was the lucky one and didn't get sick at all. Thank goodness for that.

Friday, we made an appointment to see the family Doctor for Zoie, then Ryan drove into Staunton to get looked at and get some drugs. Saturday night, we ended up making a trip to the ER for Zoie who had a temperature of 103 degrees all day. Poor girl, she was so exhausted and in so much pain.

I'm glad to say that all is well now and we are all healthy. Here are two pictures of my sick little family. I think they are so cute. This is how they were all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Living Room I

I have finished decorating one of the four walls in our living room. I am really loving how things are coming out. It really is starting to make our apartment feel like more of a home. Anyway, enough said, here are some pictures.

There is the complete look at the wall. We are putting up blinds this weekend.

I just LOVE it!

Picture of the Resurrected Christ leaving the tomb (Ryan's all time favorite picture)

and The Living Christ.

My Family Wall, I guess you could say. The "C" is cut from

cardboard and wrapped with yarn.

There you go, wall one in the living room completed. I'm hoping to have the mirror finished for you all by the end of the day tomorrow. Have a great day!

Meet my Nephew

My sister and brother-in-law had their first baby last night. :) So exciting.

I can't wait to meet him. Congrats Shelby and Brad. He is precious!

Another Muffin Morning

This morning was a Homemade Blueberry Muffin kind of morning! Ryan woke up with a fever, and what a better comfort breakfast food than blueberry muffins, right?!

We enjoyed these muffins with some delicious Orange Juice! Mmmm....good. I would normally share the recipe with you, but as much as I enjoyed them, I didn't like some of the flavor, so I am going to play around with this recipe and see what I can come up with to make me absolutely LOVE these blueberry muffins. With that said, stay tuned for a post on that in the next couple of weeks or so.

Zoie loved them and kept saying, "yum...good....yum....good." I've really enjoyed making breakfast in the morning. It gives Zoie quiet time in the mornings to herself. It gives Ryan time to wake up and really enjoy the morning of a new day without feeling rushed of having to get to work on time. It gives me a chance to enjoy myself while I cook and listen to Zoie be in her own little world, or offering to help me make breakfast. She likes to set the table. It starts our morning out right and I believe it makes our day go by so much smoother.

I love breakfast!!!





I Passed

Last week I got my certificate for passing the training and assessment video for Body Attack!! I am so excited. A little bit of bragging...I passed while pregnant!!! For those who don't know what Body Attack is, it is a Les Mills  inspired high-intensity cardio program. I absolutely loves teaching Attack and knowing I got one of the best workouts ever.

I have already been a certified trainer for Body Flow, another Les Mill inspired program, focusing on Yoga, Tai Chi, and Pilate's. I am going on four years with this program. I am so excited to add another Les Mills program to my daily workout and job description. If you haven't tried out either of these programs I encourage you to do so. What do you have to lose? You'd be working out to great music, with a bunch of others and before you know it, the hour is over and you feel great.

Just wanted to share with you all my biggest achievement this passed week. I can't even begin to tell how excited I am to have this baby and start teaching again. Zoie loves Body Attack, and some days that is the movie she wants to watch. :) She'll copy all the moves. I love it.

 Got to start them out young, right?!

Pearls

This month marks the one year mark of Zoie getting her ears pierced. I have been waiting for this month for a while now. I have been wanting to change her earrings for a while now. I know I could of done a long time ago, but my mom kept all of us girls earrings in for a year, just to be safe and not have to deal with all the fuss of trying to get them out.

Ryan and I started to take them out the beginning of the month, but, like my mom said, it was going to be hard. We would get the earring to nudge a bit, then Zoie would say "ow" and move her head, and that became difficult.

Well.... yesterday Zoie let me take them out. Once I took one out, she yelled "I did it!" She was so excited and handed me her new earring to put in. Then I did the other ear and she exclaimed once more, "I did it!" She was so proud of herself for sitting still and letting me take out the old diamonds and put in her new pearls.

Because she did such a good job, I gave her a sucker. She was so thrilled. She ran into the bedroom, woke up daddy and said "see, pretty." Such a funny pretty little girl. Here is a picture, it's a little hard to tell, but you can see her little white pearls.

3 Weeks Left

YAY....I have made it to 37 weeks. Only 3 more weeks left!! We are so excited.  We have finally decided on a name, but I don't think we are going to say anything until we see her and we know for sure that that's her name. Sorry all, but you're just going to have to wait.

Haven't posted much about her since we had our little scare a few weeks ago. So, I'll catch you up. I have been feeling pretty good. Haven't been able to exercise and it is driving me crazy!!!! I still have contractions. Some days are better than others. Yesterday was one of those horrible days and my contractions were hard and very painful, but nothing to get to concerned about (10-20 minutes apart). I'm tired of this "teasing phase", that is what I like to call it.

Went into the doctor last Tuesday for a check up. Dr. Jensen has scheduled me for another growth ultrasound, this coming Tuesday, because this little girl hasn't seemed to grow since the last growth ultrasound 5-7 weeks ago.  I, apparently am losing weight too, so we're a little concerned as to why, at this stage in the pregnancy. Ryan is doing everything he can to get me and this little girl to "fatten up." :) hehehe...

Dr. Jensen didn't seem too worried or concerned, so we aren't, but she may have just put on that face as not to freak us out. Baby's heartbeat is great and she is moving pretty well. We will know more about what's going on with this little girl and such on Tuesday. Once we know more, I'll be sure to let you all know. Until then, we are very excited to see her again. Zoie loves to see her on the screen and hear her heartbeat.

We are very blessed that we have made it this far and are very grateful for all the love and prayers in our behalf.

Strawberry Shortcake

Wanted to share with you all this amazing dessert that has been in our house the past few days. Ryan bought some stuff to make Strawberry Shortcake a few days ago. I didn't have any cause, I knew he really wanted them and I'm not a big fan of them myself. But last night, I need something sweet, so I had made myself one. It was delicious and hit the right spot. :)

It's a mini one, stacked with our fresh delicious strawberries, we hand picked memorial weekend. Layered with cool whip and drizzled with strawberry juices. YUM!!! Doesn't this make you want to go and make yourself one?  Oh, how I am loving strawberries!!!

Staying STRONG in the STORMS of Life

This last Sunday, was fast and testimony meeting. One of my institute teachers posted this a few weeks ago and I think it is the perfect saying on what I have been thinking about this week.

"May we declare ourselves to be more fully disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, not in word only and not only in the flush of comfortable times but in deed and in courage and in faith, including when the path is lonely and when our cross is difficult to bear."
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
("Created for Greater Things", p. 74)

I know that when we dedicate ourselves to the Lord and His work, we will be able to withstand any trial and challenge that is given to us. It is only through our Savior, Jesus Christ, where we can accomplish and bear all things. He is my strenght and my courage. He is real. He lives. He loves each and everyone of us. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

Napping

The other day, I was really exhausted and just wanted to go back to sleep. Zoie was up and wanting to play with me. I didn't feel like playing and  I couldn't just go to sleep. I told myself I'd wait until I put her down for her nap, then I can go to sleep.

I waited for about 5 minutes, then told Zoie that mommy was really tired and didn't want to play. Mommy just wants to take a nap. So, she went and grabbed one of her books, climbed up and layed with me on the couch and we read  a couple books then we both took a long nap on the couch together. It was great and she went down and hour earlier than normal for her nap. I think she loves me. :)

I love my little girl and I know she is going to be such a big help when her little sister arrives in a few weeks.  Thanks for taking a nap with me Zoie. Love you girlie!!!

Banana Nut Muffins

I had a lot of bananas in the freezer and decided it was time to use them up. I made these delicious banana nut muffins for breakfast this morning.

I've been trying to make breakfast in the mornings, so the whole family can be together and enjoy spending quality time with each other. So far its been a success. I am glad I decided to make this possible, it's great to have the family together, talking, and enjoying some delicious meals. It has definitely made me think of new ideas for breakfast, and I know Ryan and Zoie especially love it.

I can feel that our family is growing closer together and stronger, especially with the Lord. Zoie gets so excited to pray, it may just be cause she gets to eat after prayer, but nonetheless, she gets excited to pray. I love my family.

Here is the recipe if you'd like to give them a try. They didn't call for walnuts, but I added some in just to spice things up a bit ;)

Banana Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 large bananas, mashed
3/4 cups white sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, melted

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tin.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine mashed bananas, sugar, egg, and melted butter.
• Fold in flour mixture and mix until smooth.
• Scoop into muffin pan.
• Bake 25-30 minutes. Makes 12 regular muffins or 48 mini-muffins.

HAPPY EATING!!!

Living Room Design

Hey all, I am trying to make our apartment more of a home, and not just a place we live in. With that said, I want/need your opinion on my design for the living room. A couple weeks ago, Ryan and I puttied all the holes in the wall, washed down the walls, and gave them a new fresh coat of paint. It absolutely looks amazing. We are renting so we weren't able to paint a color to the wall, its just another shade of white. It's incredible what a new coat paint can do to a room. It brightens up our living room so much more.

So I drew this picture in paint and want to know what you all think. I haven't hung anything on the walls yet. I plan on doing that later tonight or tomorrow sometime. Right now there is just paper taped to the walls of where everything may go. I'm excited to finally almost be done with this room, so I can start on the next one.

So you know, the lazy boy is actually suppose to be in front of the lamp, just forgot to fix it after I did everything. It's not 100% to scale, but gives you the gist of the layout in the living room.

Remember that mirror that I told you I found in the garbage at the beginning of April? Well, I am finally getting started on it. It'll be placed in the living room of course. ;) Here is a picture of the mirror. I'm excited to get started on this.

It's so big and awesome--LOVE IT! I plan on crackling the wood frame.

Happy Girl

Strawberry Jam

Last night, I decided to finally buckle down and make some homemade strawberry jam. It wasn't as difficult as I thought and it definitely didn't take as long as I thought. I ended not using all the strawberries for the jam, we are working on getting some rhubarb to make strawberry-rhubarb jam and pie. Can you say YUM....!!!! :)

I ended up making four completely full, pint size jars and one 3/4 the way full that we are currently using now. It tastes amazing and I am glad it was a success and a go ahead to make again.

I don't know much about canning or making jam, so all this was a first. I didn't have any canning equipment, so I improvised with what we had around the house. I had to first sterilize my jars and lids, which was no big deal. Then I mashed up my strawberries and added the sugar, lemon juice and pectin. It smelt so good. I learned that if you add just a little bit of butter to the mixture, you won't get a lot of foam to scrape off when it's done. It works, (not that I know the difference), but I barely had any foam to scrape off. Then I scooped the jam into the jars and had to put them back in the boiling pot. Getting them out was the hard part. Ryan and his friend had to double team to get the four jars out, with two tongs and ladle.  I couldn't do that part, I kept dropping the jars back into the water. :)Thanks guys!!!
Overall, this was a good experience for me and I am excited to make this a part of my family's life. I feel so "pioneery." (yes I think I just made that word up).

Recipe from here